Iron Fire: Voyage of the Damned

Power Metal

4.0/5.0

If you have any familiarity with Iron Fire, then you know Martin Steene and company do nothing small. Their seventh studio project, Voyage of the Damned, at better than 60 minutes, is mammoth expression of their epic power metal.

Above, Iron Fire: with their shadows hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Mostly Voyage of the Damned is grand, nearly larger than life. Some naysayers of power metal would likely call this spin pompous. But they would only be throwing mud at a teflon-coated wall. Everything that is grand and grandiose about classic power metal swirls here in effortless glory: speedy riffs, heavy and cogent rhythm section, effervescent guitar solos and, of course, Steene's vocal machinations. You'll here some minor bits of gruff death-like vocals interspersed with his sound metal range. He settles down on The Final Odyssey, a tune that could come straight off a Kamelot album.

Enter Oblivion OJ-666, Slaughter of Souls, Leviathan, Realm of Madness offer elaborate proportions of steely and heavy power metal. Even the twinkle of keys can't soften Slaughter of Souls, the most rocking power metal here. For shear extravagance, maybe even profundity, Iron Fire gets heroic on the title track. With immensity comes a challenge: give Voyage of the Damned a interrupted first spin, without pause, if only for first impression. Then spin again with patient attention for maximum entertainment. Easily recommended.

Alphabetical Index

And then there were five. Gekko Projekt was once a collective of four male musicians Vance Gloster (k), Peter Matuchniak (g), Rick Meadows (b), and Alan Smith (d), all with a love for melodic progressive rock. The cut one album so far ... [ Read More ]